Fall Beer Guide

Brush Up On Your Cold-Weather Brews With Our Fall Beer Guide

Summer is on its way out and the cooler air of fall is making an appearance. While you can still often enjoy beers on the patio, there are also days that require a more hearty beer to keep you company.

In my Fall Beer Guide I have included a few of the expected pumpkin and Oktoberfest beers, but I’ve also tried to share a big range of beers for all types of weather. My choices will be all craft beers, but aiming toward the less obscure, and more toward beers you're likely to find in quality stores and bars in a variety of geographic locations. I’ve got beers of all types, and even have two plum beers on the list. I bet you haven’t seen that before! Read on, take notes and consider the beers of your future.

Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier (Germany)

When starting a Fall beer list it’s probably wise to start with a classic Oktoberfestbier, and the Hofbräu is an excellent example. As expected, this beer has a nice malt-forward character with a lot of bready notes and firm bitterness. For a beer that’s consumed in copious quantities, it’s a little higher ABV at 6.3%, but I’m not sure anyone in Munich is complaining.

Samuel Adams Octoberfest (Massachusetts)

Hopping across the pond to an American-made version of the Octoberfest style, the Samuel Adams Octoberfest is a solid, and broadly available example of the German classic. It leans a bit more toward the caramel side in terms of malt character, and shows a restrained earthy hop quality. At 5.3% ABV it doesn’t quite pack the same punch as the Hofbräu but it’s a direct and flavorful beer that’s worth a try this fall.

Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin (Maine)

Next up after the Octoberfests we’re getting a few pumpkin beers on the list, and first is the Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin. Like most pumpkin beers, this one has a large spicy character on the nose, with nutmeg making a major appearance. On first sip however, it’s pretty obvious that this is a very big beer; with an ABV of 9.0% this beer displays a muscular booziness underlined by bold sweetness. If you want a powerful pumpkin beer, then the Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin is a great bet.

Magic Hat Wilhelm Scream Pumpkin Ale (Vermont)

Any of you involved in audio production know the Wilhelm Scream as an inside joke, with the same scream appearing in hundreds of production over the years. For the folks over at Magic Hat, it seems to commemorate the yearly return of their Pumpkin Ale. The Wilhelm Scream is a more down-to-earth Pumpkin ale in comparison to the burly Smashed Pumpkin, coming in at 5.4% ABV. It has the expected solid pumpkin spice character with a hint of roastiness, and a touch of caramel sweetness in the finish.

Howe Sound Pumpkin Eater (British Columbia)

Our last Pumpkin Ale on this fall list is another big beer: the Pumpkin Eater from Howe Sound comes in at 8% ABV and claims Imperial status (denoting a greater strength beer). Like the other pumpkin beers, this one displays some sweet, caramel notes, but it’s differentiated by the balance of pumpkin spice with pleasant vegetal notes. This harvest-like quality truly emphasizes its nature as a fall beer, making it one of the stars of this list.

The Bruery Autumn Maple (California)

The Autumn Maple technically isn’t a pumpkin beer, but it does have some similarities as it’s made with another gourd (plenty of yams) and spiced with cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Add in some vanilla, maple syrup and molasses and this beer really reminds one of a Thanksgiving side-dish. The yams make a sweet caramelly appearance with the spices in the background to create a very unique and delicious beer.

Ayinger Jarhundert (Germany)

While the Ayinger Oktoberfestbier is one of the best around, I’ve instead decided to put their Jarhundert, a Dortmunder Export style of beer, on the list instead. Why? Well, the Jarhundert is exceptionally delicious and is a hearty lager that really fits the fall season. Jarhundert displays solid grainy malt quality along with bold and herbal hoppy bitterness. It’s just about as good as a lager can get.

König Ludwig Weissbier (Germany)

Sticking with Germany, next up on the list is König Ludwig Weissbier. Normally I’d showcase weissbiers on a summer list, but a hearty, balanced beer like the König Ludwig is great all year round. Like all good weissbiers, this one shows a nice balance between banana and clove character, but it also has just a little more body than some of its competitors. And, it’s named after King Ludwig!

St. Bernardus Wit (Belgium)

Another Europe-brewed, wheat-based beer on this fall list is the St. Bernardus Wit. Unlike the pure German wheat beers, the Belgian Wits include the addition of orange peel and coriander, which gives them a spicy and complex character that complements the variable fall weather. The St. Bernardus Wit is a superb version of the style, probably because it was created in collaboration with Pierre Celis, the brewer credited with resurrecting the style. Mr. Celis is no longer with us, but his beer remains, so enjoy it as the leaves fall.

Ecaussinnes Le Penneffoise (Belgium)

Another Belgian product, and one of the more obscure beers on this list, is Le Penneffoise. It’s one of the two beers featuring plum as an addition, and is a very unique, slightly tart and wild-tasting beer that is probably unlike anything you’ve tasted before. It displays a significant fruity quality, but it’s hard to pick out the plum as the primary fruit as there are notes of cherry and even grapes. It’s got a hint of sour acid, a hint of funkiness and some farmhouse complexity. It’s a great beer for an unpredictable fall day.

New Belgium Long Table (Colorado)

Coming back from across the Atlantic — but to a brewery inspired by the beers of Belgium — next up is the Long Table Farmhouse Ale from New Belgium of Colorado. The Long Table is a very tasty farmhouse-style ale with complex fruity notes balanced with some peppery spice and a slightly sweet finish. The complexity of this beer is impressive, as each sip unearths a new flavor to consider, and before you realize it, it’s gone, and time for another.

Boulevard Saison Brett (Missouri)

Saisons were one of the better-known of the farmhouse ales, and this modern version from Boulevard Brewing, the Saison Brett, is also one of the best. Saisons typically have a complex, fruity, and estery nose and an earthy, spicy quality, and the addition of Brettanomyces both dries out the beer and increase its complexity. The Saison Brett is both highly drinkable, and exceptionally interesting any time of year.

Hitachino Nest Ancient Nipponia (Japan)

A truly unusual and unique beer, the Hitachino Nest Ancient Nipponia features a type of Japanese barley thought to be lost to the sands of time, in combination with Japanese Sorachi Ace hops. The result is a light, refreshing, herbal and citrusy hopped beer balanced with bready malt and sweet cotton candy notes. It’s completely unique and completely compelling.

Tripel Karmeliet (Belgium)

Don’t let the lighter color of the Tripel Karmeliet fool you: this golden beer clocks in at 8.4% ABV and is a powerful, bold beer. Tripels are great cooler-weather beers as their robust fruity and yeasty character is underpinned by a solid booziness. In spite of the lighter color this is still a surprisingly malty beer, with lots of bready malt forming the flavor backbone. Who needs hops when you have all of this fruity Belgian complexity?

Houblon Chouffe (Belgium)

What happens when one combines a Belgian Tripel with a big bunch of hops? Some call it a Belgian IPA, but whatever you want to call it, the Houblon Chouffe is a tremendous example of a complex, golden Belgian beer with a hops load worthy of an American IPA. The hop character is different than the citrus and pine-focused American style, and instead is floral and herbal in character, and melded with the fruity and yeasty quality of a Belgian beer. It’s bold and bitter, but complex and contemplative; just right for the fall season.

Epic Hop Zombie (New Zealand)

It’s a real feat to get through any broadly-based beer list and not mention any hop-focused beer until midway through the list, but my goal has been to show a range of beers to enjoy in fall, before we get hop-focused. I’ve chosen Epic’s Hop Zombie as my fall IPA, largely for its tropical fruit-focused flavors. Made with a combination of American and New Zealand hops, the Hop Zombie is a big and bold IPA, but tastes quite different from most other IPAs, with mango and passionfruit as the primary flavors. Hopefully you’ll be able to enjoy it without having to go to another hemisphere.

Laughing Dog Rocket Dog Rye IPA (Idaho)

Continuing on in the vein of offbeat IPAs, next up is a Rye IPA called Rocket Dog, from Laughing Dog. Beers that contain rye tend to have an earthy, spicy character and the Rocket Dog fits the prototype well. It has a bready, cracker-like malt character, but this is dominated by citrus and piney hops and finishes with rye spiciness. This is a solid, earthy IPA well suited to fall quaffing.

Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale (England)

It’s always a pleasure showcasing a classic beer like the Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale. As a dry, brown ale it’s an excellent fall beer with a tremendous balance of bready malt, caramel and toffee in conjunction with direct nutty notes. It displays some gentle earthy hoppiness to balance it out and make it so tremendously drinkable. Having been brewed for the last couple hundred years, it’s clear the fine folks at Samuel Smith have been doing something right!

Unibroue Trois Pistoles (Quebec)

While on the subject of brown ales, it only seems appropriate to turn it up to 11 and showcase the Trois Pistoles from Unibroue of Quebec. This beer is a style called a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, and it is largely that: deep brown in color and very potent, with a 9% ABV. This beer is perfect for the cooler nights that fall can bring. It’s big and bold, with sweet notes from start to finish, but also plenty of dark fruit to get your lips smacking and some roasty cocoa notes tantalize your pallet.

Fuller’s London Porter (England)

The next few beers will continue to get darker and darker as we go deeper into the fall selections, and I now showcase another English classic, the Fuller’s London Porter. One of my fondest beer-drinking memories is of drinking London Porter on tap while sitting on a cool fall patio. I was amazed by the dark chocolate character and smooth creaminess of the beer. I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying it a few times since and have never been disappointed. It’s bold and roasty, but very drinkable at 5.4% ABV.

8 Wired Flat White (New Zealand)

Another interesting darker beer I’ve run across recently is the Flat White Coffee Milk Stout from 8 Wired. Originating from Australia (though New Zealanders are also claiming it), a flat white is an espresso shot with a velvety layer of milk poured over it. So, it makes complete sense a beer inspired by the coffee drink should be made. 8 Wired’s Flat White is a milk stout (a stout with Lactose added to increase sweetness) and combined with coffee. The beer absolutely lives up to this billing with very bold coffee character and a hint of finishing sweetness. It’s not quite like the coffee, but is a great cooler weather beer.

Sound Brewing Dubbel Entendre (Washington)

Another great, darker fall beer to enjoy is the Dubbel Entendre from Sound Brewing of Washington state. As a Belgian-style Dubbel, this beer displays many layers of complexity, with fruity and banana esters on the nose, and roasted toffee body with a spicy, dry finish. It’s dark, complex yet very drinkable; a great beer for the fall season.

Celebrator Dopplebock (Germany)

Next up is another lager, but one unlike most you would have tried. The Celebrator is a Dopplebock, a dark and very malty lager that is a bold, big beer with a combination of molasses, toffee and caramel with dark fruit. As a lager it displays a silky smoothness even in the face of these many bold flavors and remains very drinkable. It’s somehow refreshing and powerful; an excellent fall beer.

Clown Shoes Royal Standard (Massachusetts)

The Royal Standard is a Wee Heavy, a strong and malty Scottish-inspired ale. Like most good Wee Heavies, the Royal Standard displays plenty of caramel malty sweetness counterbalanced by ripe dark fruit. It’s got a huge ABV at 10%, but the alcohol is dangerously well-hidden. This is one for late fall when the snow is threatening.

Dark Island Reserve (Scotland)

Another big and bold Wee Heavy (at least at its core), the Dark Island Reserve clocks in at the exact same ABV (10%) as our prior beer, but has the added benefit of being barrel-aged in Scotch Whiskey barrels. While the prior beer’s alcohol is well hidden, the booziness of the Dark Island Reserve is right up front and part of the core experience. It’s got lots of caramel sweetness but also some vanilla from the barrel as well as dark fruit and vinous notes. This one is for deep fall, once the snow has already fallen.

Stone Woot Stout 2015 (California)

The Wil Wheaton-inspired Woot Stouts are a yearly release from California’s Stone Brewing. This unique beer has been brewed for a few years now, and the 2015 batch includes some of the 2014 that’s been aged in bourbon barrels for the last year. It’s a big, powerful (13% ABV) Imperial Stout and hits all of the right coffee, chocolate and molasses notes along with sweet bourbon character and hints of vanilla from the barrel aging. It’s big and bold and ready for sipping on a cold fall evening.

Rodenbach Grand Cru (Belgium)

Now that we’re approaching the tail end of this list, it’s time for something completely different, and I’m going to feature a few sours. Sour beers to me seem like a very fall beverage. They’re not made to be directly thirst quenching, yet they’re not overly heavy. They feel like a beer that belongs in-between seasons. The first of these beers is also a classic, the Rodenbach Grand Cru, is a tart, red-brown beer that features direct, sharp acidity, but also vinous complexity and subtle sweet notes. If you’re just getting introduced to sours, this is probably the best place to start.

Oude Quetsche Tilquin (Belgium)

Like the other plum-based beer on this fall list, the Tilquin is quite rare (and this is the Prunes De Namur version). As a fruit lambic, this beer has a very direct tart acidity intermingled with ripe plum notes. Many people that try a beer like this find the sourness overpowering, but once you get the hang of it, it’s quite enjoyable, and you’re better able to pick out subtle notes in the flavor. In this case, the plum is quite subtle but manages to soften the overall experience and balance out the acid slightly.

Mikkeller Spontanpeach (Belgium)

Another sour entry in our list is the Spontanpeach from Mikkeller. The gypsy brewers from Mikkeller brew all over the world, though in this case the Spontanpeach was aged in Belgium to create a very bold, sour beer. My first taste of this beer demonstrated some significant funk along with very direct and tart acidity. The peach is definitely present and a dominant part of this beer. Over time this should mellow somewhat and the peach will come forward. Perhaps it’s best to wait on this one until next fall if you prefer a more subdued beer.

Gigantic Snakebite (Oregon)

Last but not least, this unclassifiable beer is a collaboration between Gigantic of Oregon, Beau’s All Natural Brewing of Ontario and Cider Riot!, also of Oregon. The Snakebite is a combination of Kölsch and cider (with a hint of black currant). This beer displays the expected ripe red apple character you’d see in a cider, but also a bit of counterbalancing citrus hops — just enough to emphasize its beer roots. The Kölsch grainy malt fills the middle of the flavor and it finishes off dry with more fruity notes. It’s most unusual and quite delicious, and a great final fall beer for this list.